Fresno agrees to pilot plan that employs homeless people. Here’s what it looks like
The city of Fresno unveiled an agreement with the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission that would help homeless people secure a job, as they work their way back into society.
The workforce program is one of seven funded by $3 million in the state Homeless Emergency Aid program of 2019, according to officials. The Fresno City Council on Thursday voted to approve a $100,000 contract for the program.
Fresno EOC will provide 15 people with job training during the 17-month pilot project, according to Misty Gattie-Blanco, sanctuary director for EOC. The job pays $13 an hour.
If the project is successful., city officials could expand it to help the larger homeless population.
As a pilot project, the employees work in cycles for three weeks and are off for a week. Gattie-Blanco said that could change with time, but EOC looks to ease the employees into the work as they also may be dealing with managing their mental health or drug use.
“Because it’s our homeless population, we want to be able to maintain contact with them and make sure they’re still continuing to come,” she said.
Along with a job, the program offers supportive services and aid in finding permanent housing.
In the city of Fresno, 1,152 people are homeless. On top of that, about 300 more are homeless but living in a shelter, according to a tally from January 2019. Homelessness in Fresno and Madera counties grew about 17% from the previous year, the tally showed.
The EOC has a history of working with people who have come out of prison or have some other obstacle for getting and keeping a job, according to H Spees, the director of strategic initiatives for Fresno Mayor Lee Brand.
“The goal of this program is to get folks into an employment stream, get them off the streets and into society,” Spees said.
The jobs consist of picking up trash and maintaining landscapes at places like the Poverello House, Turning Point of Central California Triage Centers and Mental Health Systems.
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 3:55 PM.
